742 Glyn Hodges

Biography

Wideman Glyn Hodges joined the Tigers in August 1997, returning from Hong Kong where he had been playing under the management of City’s new assistant manager Billy Kirkwood. The Tigers’ manager Mark Hateley was assembling a squad that mixed young and experienced players with a view to launching a promotion charge, Hodges was seen as an important part of that project. He made his debut and his class quickly became apparent, deft touches and intelligent passing raising him head and shoulders above what most fourth tier teams had to offer. In his third start for City Glyn scored his first goal, the third in a remarkable 7-4 victory over Swansea City. However the downside of recruiting experienced players struck a week later when Hodges picked up an injury and missed two months of football. When he returned in November City’s form had dipped and Glyn’s effortless prompting was not enough to turn around the poor run of results. He scored the equaliser in a December 1997 2-2 draw at Hartlepool, then netted twice as City embarked on an unlikely post-Christmas comeback at Rotherham that ended in a 4-5 defeat. In early February a clause in Hodges’ contract was activated that allowed him to move to a larger club, and he left the Tigers for Nottingham Forest.

Glyn Peter Hodges was born in Streatham, South London, and joined the youth team at Wimbledon in the late 1970s. He made his first team debut for the Dons in September 1980 after the club, in their fourth season in the Football League, had just been relegated to the Fourth Division. Hodges quickly made the left wing position his own as Wimbledon bounced back to win promotion to the Third Division, with Glyn contributing five goals after scoring his first senior goal in an October 1980 3-0 win over York City. He spent the summer of 1981 scoring six goals in 12 starts fot Finnish side Koparit and during the next two seasons Wimbledon were again relegated and promoted – as Fourth Division Champions in the 1982/83 season – and Hodges continued to be a first team regular despite only reaching his 20th birthday shortly before the 1983 title was confirmed. Wimbledon, under the management of Dave Bassett, then claimed two further promotions in the next three seasons so that by the start of the 1986/87 season Hodges was a First Division footballer who had played at, and impressed at, all four levels of the Football League over the last five years. Hodges was the supply line for Dons’ striker Alan Cork and also continued to contribute goals of his own, notably notching 18 times in the 1983/84 season. Wimbledon finished 6th in their first season in the top flight and reached the FA Cup Sixth Round, with Hodges scoring 11 times in 43 appearances. Having proved himself as the highest level of the English game, it was little surprise that other clubs were coveting his services and Glyn left Wimbledon in July 1987 having scored 55 times in 273 appearances in all competitions.

Hodges joined Newcastle United in July 1987 in return for a £200,000 fee but within three months and only seven starts for the Magpies he returned south to join Watford, with the Hornets paying £300,000 for his signature. In three seasons at Vicarage Road Hodges won Player of the Season awards and scored 19 times in 102 appearances. In July 1990 he signed for Crystal Palace for a £410,000 fee but six months later he was reunited with his former Wimbledon and Watford manager Dave Bassett, who was now in charge at Sheffield United, with Hodges’ fee rising to £450,000. Glyn spent just over five years at Sheffield United as the Blades competed with the best in the First Division and the newly formed Premier League – the Blades also reached the last four of the FA Cup in 1993 and Hodges started the semi-final they lost narrowly to their city rivals Sheffield Wednesday. Hodges stayed at Bramall Lane when Sheffield United were relegated at the end of the 1993/94 season but by February 1996 he was on the move again, having made 171 appearances for Sheffield United and scored 22 goals. Hodges joined Derby County for the remainder of the 1995/96 season but made only nine appearances, eight as substitute, and in the summer of 1996 he decided to head east and joined Hong Kong league side Sing Tao. He had one season in the Far East under manager Billy Kirkwood before following his boss to Hull City.

Hodges again teamed up with Dave Bassett in February 1998 when he joined Nottingham Forest as a player-coach. He left Forest in January 1999 and had six months at Scarborough but made only one appearance before hanging up his playing boots in the summer of 1999. In a nineteen year career Glyn made just over 600 senior appearances in the English game, scored 101 goals and created numerous others – a fine player.

Hodges then began a second career in football coaching and management. In 2000 he reunited once more with Dave Bassett at Barnsley, where he was appointed reserve team manager, and was briefly caretaker manager of the Tykes in October 2001 and April 2003. When bankrupt Barnsley went into receivership in 2003 and an Icelandic consortium took over, Hodges moved on and in January 2004 he teamed up for the first team with Mark Hughes when he became Wales’ under-21 manager while Hughes oversaw the senior side. Hodges followed Hughes to Blackburn Rovers in 2005, where he was appointed reserve team manager, then in 2008 he followed Hughes to Manchester City in a similar role. Both Hodges and Hughes were sacked by Manchester City in December 2009 and after a spell coaching at Leeds United Glyn was appointed First Team Coach at Fulham in October 2010, where Hughes was again the manager. Hodges joined QPR’s coaching staff in 2011 then became Under-21s coach at Stoke City in July 2013, a post he held for four and a half years until January 2018.

In December 2018 he returned to his roots when he was appointed Assistant Manager at phoenix club AFC Wimbledon. At the start of the 2019/20 season Hodges took over as First Team Manager, a role he retained until January 2021 when he was sacked following a defeat to arch rivals MK Dons. In January 2022 he took up a coaching role at Doncaster Rovers and a month later he was appointed assistant manager at Bradford City by new boss and former Welsh international team mate Mark Hughes – when Hughes was dismissed by the Bantams in October 2023, Hodges was also sacked.

Hodges’ father was born and bred in Swansea, which meant Glyn qualified to play for Wales. He was awarded five under-21 caps for Wales in 1983 and 1984, then made his senior Wales debut in June 1984 against Norway, making a second appearance four days later against Israel. He was rarely a regular for the Wales international side but by 1996 he had amassed 18 senior caps and scored two goals, his final appearance for Wales coming in a January 1996 0-3 friendly defeat at the hands of Italy.

Details

Nationality: Wales
Date/Place of Birth: 30 April 1963, Streatham
Hull City First Game: 23 August 1997, Peterborough United A (League Division 3), 34 years, 115 days old
Hull City Final Game: 31 January 1998, Lincoln City A (League Division 3), 34 years, 276 days old

Clubs

Wimbledon (1981-1987), Koparit (1981, loan), Newcastle United (1997), Watford (1987-1990), Crystal Palace (1990-1991), Sheffield United (1991-1996), Derby County (1996), Sing Tao (1996-1997), Hull City (1997-1998), Nottingham Forest (1998-1999), Scarborough (1999)

Hull City Record

Career: 22 apps, 4 goals

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1997/9813 (5)41 (0)01 (0)02 (0)0

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